It Isn't About Blood
by anastasiya blue
Summary: Lily found a muggleborn girl in the ruins of her house, the only survivor of a completely razed Muggle village, courtesy of the Death Eaters. She immediately feels protective of her, and after they get to meet, she finds out that they share a number of similarities. Particularly in sucky older siblings. / Lily/James, Sirius/OC, other pairings.
1. I Found You

_Wohooo. Marauder fic! Lily and James! Sirius and OC! War! It's all very juicy, indeed. I hope you like this! I'm really excited about it. I've got a Naruto story that I've sort of lost interest in due to the fact that I'm bored by the manga and I've shifted my focus over to Harry Potter. Please review with anything. Praise, criticism, personal stories, whatever floats your boat, really. Though I'd appreciate if it has something to do with the story as I'm searching for some feedback. Thanks for reading and I hope you enjoyed this as much as I enjoy writing it!_

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Chapter one

**I Found You**

**...**

Her body was found amongst the rubble of her house. She was covered in blood, mostly hers but not exclusively, and her clothes were torn in shreds. She was so very young, Lily thought, as she knelt down and brushed away a strand of dirty, tangled coppery red hair from her face. But wasn't Lily young, too? They all were. Too young, too innocent, too careless for this war. But war didn't care about age. It sucked you in and you had no other option but to fight to stay alive and keep your loved ones alive as well.

"Is she alive?" the rich voice came from behind her, and Lily looked up to meet the older woman's eyes. She nodded slowly.

"She's in need of medical attention, though," Lily said, rising to her feet. She swished her wand a few times over the girl and bandages magically sprang out of the tip of her wand and wrapped themselves around the worst of the visible wounds.

"Her parents are dead," Marlene said sadly. "Muggles. We found this," she showed Lily a long, shiny wand. "It belongs to her. We found a trunk full of textbooks in her room."

Lily frowned. "You think she is still a student?"

Marlene nodded, her face twisting angrily. "We think so, yes. The books in her trunk were sixth year level. The school year ended just a couple of weeks ago."

The burning hatred Lily felt for Voldemort and his Death Eaters wasn't a new feeling, but in moments like this, she felt like she might just burst from it. Who did they think they are, to go around killing innocent people who hadn't done anything to deserve it, except to be born without a magical ability? It was absolutely disgusting and appalling.

Lily looked down at the girl, feeling pity and sadness. The girl would wake up soon and find out that she was left parentless. She remembered her own pain when her parents died just two years ago. She'd been around the girl's age and she hadn't taken it well at all. If it hadn't been for James and her friends, she would have fallen into depression. She only hoped the girl had as good friends as hers to help her through the tough times.

She raked her hand through her long, auburn hair and sighed heavily. "I better get her to St. Mungo's."

"Do that," Marlene said with a nod. "We'll finish her and meet the other teams afterward. I'll tell James where you went," she added as she saw Lily open her mouth.

Lily closed it, her lips twitching slightly. Marlene smiled back, though the smile was thin and tired. Lily understood perfectly. The older woman nodded one last time, glanced sadly at the prone girl on the ground and left to scout the ruins with the rest of her team, her Auror robes swishing behind her as she went.

"Let's get you some help," Lily murmured to the girl as she conjured a stretcher and lived the girl on it. "It would be all right."

…

Lily stepped through the front door and closed it softly behind her. She bent down to take off her shoes and smiled as she heard laughter coming from within the house. The war had made her more appreciative of moments like this. It had taken her awhile to warm up to James. Once she had found out what hid beneath the arrogance, she had fallen deeply in love. Her relationship with James had helped her to get to know Sirius better and she found out that there was more to him than arrogance and flippant attitude. He was fiercely loyal and loved his friends deeply. Lily was happy that she was counted amongst his closest people. She'd always gotten along with Remus in school but their relationship had gotten stronger and more comfortable after her relationship with James. As for Peter, he was like the little brother she had never had, even if he was her age.

They were her family, especially after her parents' death and her sister's refusal to have anything to do with her. The Marauders had let her in their little exclusive circle without any problems and she was grateful for that.

Figuring she had lingered a bit too long in the doorway, she took of her shoes and padded quietly to the living room, where she knew her boys would be. Sure enough, she found them there, sans Peter, laughing and drinking butterbeer.

"Hey, Lily," James greeted her with a warm smile as Lily sat down next to him. He put his arm around her shoulders and kissed the side of her head. "How's the girl you found?"

"Still unconscious," Lily said, her face pinching with worry. "The healers have taken care of her wounds but they said she'd been held under the cruciatus for an extended period of time and she'd need time to recover. They don't know how stable she'll be after she wakes up."

All traces of humour left the Marauders' faces and they exchanged dark looks.

"We're going to get those bastards one day," Sirius growled. "All of them."

"Are we?" Lily asked wearily, tiredly. She desperately wanted to believe that but the war has been going on for a few years now and with each year, Voldemort and his Death Eaters got bolder and bolder. If they didn't stop them soon, she didn't even want to imagine what they might do. Everyone was doing their best. The Aurors, the Order, too. They were fighting almost on weekly basis now and she'd had a brush with death so many times that she had become numb to it. And that scared her.

"Of course!" James said loudly with an indignant and passionate look. "We will _win. _We'll get them all in Azkaban, where they deserve to rot in the company of the dementors until they die. Don't ever lose hope, Lily! The moment we lose hope, we let them win."

"James is right," Remus said with an intense look in his pale green eyes. "We can't lose hope. It's what gives us strength to keep fighting."

"You're right. Of course you're are," Lily said with a gentle smile. She rubbed her temples. "I'm just tired and I've had a tough day. Maybe I should just go to bed."

"Don't you want to eat dinner first?" James asked. "Iffy is making us sausages and mash."

"I'm not really hungry," Lily said. She kissed him on the lips and stood up. "I've got to get up early, anyway. I'm going to St. Mungo's to check on Kathleen," she noticed their questioning looks and elaborated. "The girl I found today. She doesn't have anybody to check on her now, what with her parents dead."

James' face softened. "Of course. I'll never get over how good of a person you are."

Lily smiled. "Anyone would do it, really. Good night, boys."

"Good night, Lily!" Sirius and Remus chorused.

"I'll be up right after dinner," James said and she nodded, then she left.

She walked down the wide and lengthy corridors of the Potter mansion without much hurry. While she'd said the truth about being tired, she'd also wanted to be alone and she knew that if she told them that, they'd ask questions she didn't feel like answering. There was no particular reason for Lily's need to be alone. She was just like that sometimes, but the extremely close friends couldn't understand that. Even when they were angry with each other, they spend time together. Lily admired their strong bond. It was like they'd unknowingly made an Unbreakable Vow that they'd _always _be there for each other.

Lily thought of her own friends and how little of them she'd seen lately. She'd been spending time with people from the Order way more than her friends, though she supposed the people from the Order were her friends now. Alice and Marlene had become like the older sisters Petunia had never been, looking out for her and giving her advice. She'd even managed to warm up to Dorcas, only after the witch had stopped making googly eyes at James and started dating Gideon Prewett. Lily chuckled as she remembered how spiteful she had been towards Dorcas. Lily wasn't a jealous person by nature and James had never given her a reason to doubt him. But Dorcas was extremely pretty, like a supermodel. Someone like that showing interest in your husband was worrying even if you had the utmost confidence in him.

Without noticing, she had walked up to the bedroom she shared with James. She opened the door and walked inside. It was a big room, fitting for the enormous mansion, with a huge canopy bed that still made Lily feel giddy upon seeing it. The room wasn't as grand and big as the master's bedroom on the second floor but James didn't want to sleep in his parents' bedroom and she understood him. It was their place, he said. He wanted to keep it just the way it was before they died. Lily didn't particularly care about the size or the fact that every single piece of furniture was a high-quality antique and impossibly expensive. She only cared that it was _theirs. _Hers and James'. Their little palace. Since Remus and Sirius were both living with them, upon James' insistence, their room was the only place where they could be completely alone and in private, especially with Sirius in the house and that made Lily treasure it even more.

Lily stretched out her arms above her head as she walked up to the polished desk, overflowing with papers and textbooks that belonged to both her and James. After leaving Hogwarts, they had both wanted to get jobs, James as an Auror and Lily as a Healer but after they had gotten involved with the Order, they'd found that fighting against the darkest wizard of their time, possibly of all time, and his evil followers was a full time job and it didn't allow them time to study. Lily felt sad that she couldn't pursue her career choice but she could always do it after the war ended. She tried to be optimist about that. About the war ending. About surviving it.

Iffy had left them the daily mail on the same spot she always did. There were old letters that neither she or James had felt important enough to open but Lily noticed a new envelope, creamy and clearly expensive on top of the stack. It had her name writtin in golden cursive on it. She picked it up and noticed the same envelope beneath it, with James' name on it. It looked like a wedding invitation. She had gone to enough weddings, and also had one of her own, to recognise the tipe of letter anywhere. But who did she know that was about to marry? The only ones who weren't already married, single or simply not interested in marrying were Dorcas and Gideon but she doubted that they had taken such a serious step yet. They'd been only dating for a few months.

Ignoring the fact that she and James hadn't been dating for much longer than them when they got married, she carefully opened the envelope and read its contents.

Her jaw dropped when she saw the name inside. Both names, in fact.

**_You are cordially invited to celebrate the wedding of_**

**_Lucille Barbara Rowle_**

**_and_**

**_Derek Earnest Macmillan_**

**_On Sunday afternoon_**

**_August the 2nd_**

**_at three o'clock_**

**_in the Rowle family home_**

**_followed by reception_**

She couldn't believe her eyes. Lucy was going to marry Derek. When had they started dating? She wasn't even sure Lucy even liked Derek. She certainly hadn't when Lily had dated him. She always made snarky comments about how sappy and unexiciting he was. Morever, she remembered her friend saying that she wouldn't marry if she could help it. Lucy had always been very carefree in retaliation to her parents' conservative and old-fashioned views. She had always reminded her of Sirius in all her efforts to distinguish herself as much as possible from her parents and doing exactly the opposite of what they told her to do. And her parents had always wanted Lucy to marry someone from a respectable pureblood family.

Had they managed to persuade her, after all? Or Lucy had actually fallen in love with Derek and just hadn't told Lily about it? She realised that the last owl she had received from Lucy was last month and it hadn't been terribly detailed. Lucy had been meeting with various Quidditch teams, trying to get herself on a team. Yet another thing her parents disapproved of.

Lily grabbed spare parchment, a quill and an ink well and sat down to write down to her friend.

_Dear Lucy,_

_I got your wedding invitation and to say the least, I'm shocked. When did this happen? Why didn't you tell me? Are you parents involved in this? Did you submit to their wishes or did you actually start dating Derek? And if you had, why didn't you tell me? You didn't think I was going to be mad, did you? Because I'm not. Really. I hope that isn't the case. I'm just really, really surprised. If you're in love with him, I'm so happy for you! But if this is about your parents... we can talk about it. I know you won't be happy if you do what they tell you to do._

_I hope you manage to reply quickly._

_I love you!_

_Lily_

Lily reread it once before she found a spare envelope in the mess on the desk, sealed it with her wand and left for the owlerly.

...

"I'm invited as well?" James asked in surprise as he drank his morning coffee and disinterestedly flipped through the Daily Prophet until he reached the sports section.

Lily put down the knife after she was done smearing strawberry jam on her toast, and stared at James. "This is what you're asking after I told you that Lucy is getting married? Lucy! To Derek!"

"Well, I'm a bit surprised. I thought Lucy had better taste than that-"

Lily scrunched up a napkin in her hand and threw the ball across the table at James. Unfortunately, her aim had always been awful and

and didn't even glaze James. Her husband snickered. "Shut up! Honestly, you still haven't gotten over your irrationally hatred towards Derek?"

James' hazel eyes darkened. "I still got the memories of when Sirius and I ran into the two of you in that broom closet."

Lily rolled her eyes. "It's not like he forced me into it. I was a hearty participant."

"That's even worse!" James exclaimed. He flushed when he noticed Lily's raised eyebrows. "You know what I mean."

"I just think it's strange," Lily said, deciding to move on from the topic. "I hope she replies soon."

James shrugged. "It's her decision, Lily. Even if it was her parents who got her to do it, ultimately, it was she who said yes. Unless her parents use the Imperius Curse her, but they don't seem like that type..."

Lily fixed him with a glare. "Not funny."

"You're taking this hard," James noted, looking up from the newspaper. "Are you bothered that she's marrying Derek?" he asked suspiciously.

Lily sighed in utter exasperation. "Don't be ridiculous. I don't feel anything for him."

James shrugged. "Can't blame a bloke for making sure."

"Idiot," Lily muttered as she took a bite from her toast and chewed contendedly.

"Good morning, lovebirds," Sirius greeted as he walked in the dining room, still dressed only in his pajama bottoms, though curiously his hair was perfectly in order. Lily had gotten used to seeing Sirus bare chest and didn't even blink as he passed her by and patted her on the head before taking a seat on James' right. "You aren't fighting, are you?" He asked as he poured himself coffee and glanced between them.

"I was just telling that Lucy is marrying Derek Macmillan next month." Lily said, watching Sirius closely for his reaction.

Sirius' face didn't express shock, much to her disappointment, only thoughtfullness. After a moment of silence, he spoke. "You think she'll still let me shag her?"

James snickered while Lily threw her hands in the air in frustration. "You two are completely hopeless!" She exclaimed as she stood up. The two best friends grinned at each other, reminding her of their school years, and she rolled her eyes. "Well, if you excuse me, I've got place to be," she said in a fake snotty voice.

"Aw, Lily, don't pout!" James said, much to Sirius' amusement. "If it makes you feel better, we both think she's making a terrible mistake with marrying Macmillan. Right, mate?"

Since Sirius' mouth was full with toast, he just nodded.

Lily scoffed at him. "You think it's a mistake because it might end the shag buddy relationship you have with her."

Sirius didn't even pause to think about denying it, he just nodded again.

"I give up. I'm leaving now."

"But Lily, aren't you going to kiss me goodbye?" James shouted after her. "You know my day isn't good when you don't do it!"

"Dear Merlin, James, how much of a sap are you?" Sirius asked snarkily, sounding a cross between amusement and disgusted.

"Shut up!" James ordered and she could imagine his flushed cheeks at his best friend's teasing. She grinned.

"You'll deal with it!" She shouted back.

She entered the entrance hall and grabbed her grey ballet shoes that matched her pale powder dress perfectly. She draped a thin cloak over her muggle assemble, just because magical folk tended to look at her strangely when she went about in their world dressed completely as a muggle. She turned to look at herself in the mirror, smoothing any bumps in her hair that was pulled up in a bun, and checking her skin for any blemishes.

She heard footsteps and then James appeared behind her in the mirror, wrapping his arms around middle. He kissed her exposed collarbone, making her shiver. "That wasn't very nice." He said lowly, in what she recognised as his seductive voice.

"You weren't being very nice," Lily replied as she tried to ignore the feeling that spread through her body as he left butterfly kissed along her neck. He inhaled sharply and smiled.

"We were just teasing," he said, meeting her eyes in the mirror.

Lily smiled devilishly. "I was just teasing too," she said before spinning around in his embrace and kissing him on the lips passionately. James let out a squaek that he'd later deny producing, and kissed her back just as passionately, wrapping her even tighter in his embrace.

Goosebumps spread all over Lily's body and she felt her skin get hot as their kiss and touches became more and more searching and wandering. Then she remebered that she really had places to be and unwillingly pulled away from the kiss. "I've got to go," she whispered, not trusting her voice to come out even.

James pouted but understood. He kissed her on the lips one more time, then on tip of her nose and then on her forehead. Lily was very thankful Sirius wasn't there to witness that, because he'd have a disparging comment in a flash. She really wanted him to fall in love and try to refrain from doing the same things James was doing. "Be safe," he said before his arms pulled away from her completely, leaving her feeling colder than before.

"Always am," she replied cheekily. "I love you."

"I love you, too," James said.

Walking down the hallways of St. Mungo's, Lily couldn't help but dream. She imagined herself in the Healer's uniform, perhaps another colour, because that shade of green would look hideous with her hair. She'd work in the Spell Damage department and solve puzzling wounds and cases, and save lives. There was nothing more rewarding that, in her opinion. She was saving lives now, too, albet indirectly. She wished the war would end soon, so she, her family and everyone else could live normal lives without any fear.

Reception had directed her to the Fourth Floor to the Spell Damage department, where Kathleen Parker was currently being taken care of the Healers there. She made a note to contact Marlene to ask if they had found anything about her and if she had any family that could take care of her once she got better. It was possible that Kathleen had turned seventeen already but that didn't mean she had to be left all alone.

There were a lot of people burstling about the hallway as she stepped on the fourth floor and most weren't healers but visitors. Lily frowned as she got passed by a sobbing middle-aged woman, hugged by the shoulders by, what Lily assumed to be, her sad looking husband. She could only imagine the news they had gotten. She felt her stomach tighten at the sight and she quickened pace. She wanted to reach Kathleen's room as soon as possible. She didn't want to see the broken faces of people who had gotten that news that their loved ones had become another casualty in the war. She couldn't bare it.

Lily reached the end of the hallway where Kathleen's room was. She reached out for the doorknob but the door opened before she'd managed to open it herself. Healer Mason stepped out, eyes widening in surprising as he took in the sight of Lily standing there.

"Miss Evans!" He said, pushing his glasses up his nose. "I didn't expect to see you here so soon!"

Lily smiled. "I just want to check how she is."

Healer Mason smiled. "You're so kind, Miss Evans. She is healing nicely, yes. Although I'm afraid some of the cuts made on her body are from a cursed blade and would never heal fully. It's very unfortunate that she got scarred at such a young age. Fortunately, none of the cuts on her face were cursed and we could heal those.

She should wake up in the next few days after her body had fully recovered from the shock of the torture curse." He sighed, rubbing his forehead. "The poor girl had gone through enormous pain. I just pray she'll be able to come out unscathed mentally."

"You can't say anything before she wakes up, then?" Lily asked anxiously. "No tests can tell you if she's, well..."

"Crazy?" Healer Mason smiled, but it wasn't a happy smile. It was a dark and humourless, making his relatively young face appear much older. "No one had predicted that the torture curse would become such a huge problem, so therefore, no diagnostic spells of this kind have been invented yet. But with recent events in mind, I'm sure someone is already working on it."

"Let's hope it gets invented quicker then," Lily said.

"Do you want to come in?" Healer Mason said, stepping aside from the door. "She's completely unconscious, of course, but if you want you can go in, you can."

"Just for a bit," Lily promised.

"Really, it's all right, Miss Evans. I find it admirable that you're so concerned about a girl you don't know at all. I must go now," he said as he checked his watch. "But it was nice seeing you, Miss Evans. Hopefully I'll have the pleasure again."

Lily smiled at his friendly words. "Likewise."

"Have a nice day," he said as he left down the hallway, presumably to check on other patients. Lily returned the sentiment and then entered Kathleen's room.

The room looked like a typical hospital room, except without all the gadgets the muggle hospitals had. Wizards didn't need them. Lily felt the room was terribly impersonal, but she supposed it didn't have to be. After all, no one came into a hospital intending to stay there and make it their home. Still, she remembered how different James' room had looked when he had gotten injured seriously enough during a Quidditch play to lend himself in St. Mungo's. The Gryffindors in his year had come to visit, his room had been full of presents, his mother had changed the drapes to red, James' favourite colours, and brought him his own bedding set which were, of course, gold and red.

Kathleen didn't have parents to do that for her, though, and that made Lily's heart ache. She noticed the dying flowers in the glass vase on the bedside table and took them. She swished her wand and conjured a boquete of fragnant and colourful flowers. She looked over at her work and nodded in satisfaction before turning to look at the bed.

Kathleen looked terribly small and pale in the hospital bed. She'd noticed that the girl wasn't especially tall but on the bed she looked like a small, crushed doll. The only visible parts of her were her face and neck and Lily was glad when she noticed that the cuts there were well on their way to healing.

She moved closer to the bed and brushed the red hair away from Kathleen's face. She had a lot of hair, and now that it was washed, Lily could see it was lush and shiny. She must be proud of it. Everything about the girl screamed innocence and victim in his moment, and something inside Lily, perhaps her innate mother instinct kicked in and she felt a surge of fierce protectiveness over her. Over a complete stranger.

James had always told her that she was motherly, what with the way she fussed over everyone when they got injured, especially the Marauders. He said that he thought she'd make a great mother one day. The mother to their children.

Lily let out a long breath and took a seat on the armchair beside the bed. Glancing at her watch, she noticed she had half an hour before she had to leave for her meeting with Alice. Since both of them were exceptionally good at Potions, Dumbledore had assigned them the task of fiding rare ingredients they'd need for some of the potions the Order would need in the future. They both had agreed readily, especially since lately, they hadn't been able to see much of each other. Alice was an Auror and the Ministry was understandably overworking them and needed them at all times.

She closed her eyes as she leaned back in the armchair and closed her eyes, simply relaxing. She'd come to treasure those rare moments of serenity, when she could just sit back and relax.

Of course, she could have known that wouldn't continue for long. About five minutes later, the door opened and she heard heels clacking against tiles. She opened her eyes and raised her eyebrows in surprise when she saw Marlene standing there, decked in her Auror uniform.

"How did you know I was here?"

Marlene grinned as she closed the door. "Swung by your place. You'd probably be interested to know that I found a shirtless Black on top of your husband when I got there."

It was a sign of how used to she was to the two of them that she didn't even twitch. She just sighed. "I knew there was something going on there,' she said in attempt to sound broken.

Marlene chuckled. "I told you," she shook her head. "Actually, having a homosexual affair behind you back would be better then wrestling for the last piece of toast but they didn't seem to agree when I said that. What do I know."

Lily snorted. "I can only imagine their reactions."

"There was a suspicious amount of vehement denying," Marlene said. "And Sirius offering to show me just how straight he is."

"You'd think he'd stop doing that after the last time Adam talked with him," Lily said, shaking her head.

Marlene shrugged. "Hey, I don't mind. Sirius a mighty fine bloke. It could be worse. It could be Moody."

The two of them grimaced in disgust at the mere thought of Moody making a pass at either of them. The thought was as disgusting as it was bewildering and improbable.

"Moving past that," Lily said quickly as Marlene nodded in agreement. "Did you find anything about her?"

"She has an older brother," Marlene said. Lily straightened in her seat. "He lives in America, though. I managed to find his address and owled him this morning about the happenings. I suspect my owl will arrive there soon. I've instructed him to reply immediately so Dew could arrive with the reply as soon as possible. She doesn't have any other relatives. Three of her grandparets are dead, the fourth one is on the verge of it. No aunts or uncles ergo no cousins. She's all alone beside her brother."

Lily stared at Kathleen's relaxed, sleeping face with thin lips. "How old is her brother?"

"Twenty-two. He's studying Astronomy from what my sources tell me. He's a muggle, gone through all the muggle education. Move to study in America four years ago."

Lily nodded. "That's good."

"It is," Marlene agreed. "You are very concerned about this girl," she said after a pause, making Lily look at her. Her friend's brown eyes were curious. "I mean, you're always concerned about everyone but this is even more than usual. Why?"

Lily frowned. She didn't know why she felt so concerned and protective over her. There was just something about finding her in those ruins with her parents cold bodies so close by that made her feel like the girl needed someone to protect her. Someone to care for her like a family would. It was completely ridiculous and she realised it but she couldn't change how she felt. "I don't know," she answered honestly.

Marlene peered down at Kathleen thoughtfully. "She looks very delicate," she said finally, as if that was all the reason Lily needed to feel such protectiveness over her. Although it did play apart. Lily knew that looks could be deceiving but until Kathleen had woken up and Lily actually met her, this was what she'd think of her.

Lily nodded. "She does."

Marlene looked away and shrugged. "Do you want to get some coffee with me? Adam chugged it all down this morning and I'd die if I have to go through one of meetings without caffeine."

Lily glanced at her watched. "I guess I have some time."

"So glad you could fit me in your incredibly cluttered schedule, princess," Marlene threw sarcastically over her shoulder as she opened the door and left the room.

Lily rolled her eyes. "You're welcome," she replied in a gracious tone. She glanced over her shoulder at the bed. _Get better soon_, she thought as she joined Marlene in the hallway and closed the door behind her.


	2. I Will Keep You

_aaand second chapter is up! enjoy:_

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Chapter one

**I Will K****eep You**

...

Lily bit on her nails while she busied her other hands with taping against the table. She was in a muggle cafe in the heart of London along with Marlene, waiting for Kathleen's older brother to show up. Marlene had told her that Evan, Kathleen's brother, didn't seem very friendly from his letter. Certainly very snappy. Lily didn't like dealing with people like that because they tested her nice nature and she didn't like being mean to people. It just wasn't something she did. Even back in school the Slytherins had to really push her for her to fight back. Sometimes she wondered if she'd belonged in Hufflepuff instead of Gryffindor.

"If you don't stop that I'd be forced to break your fingers," said an annoyed voice. Lily's eyes snapped from the window where she'd been obessively waiting for Evan to show up, never mind she didn't know how he looked like. Marlene was staring at her tapping fingers with dark brown eyes, which made Lily stop immediately. "Honestly, it's unnatural to see you this nervous. Stop it," she said and went back to flipping through the menu the waitress had brought to them. "Do you think I can allow myself a piece of cake? I've been gaining weight lately. Maybe it's because I'm getting in on years."

Lily stopped her nervous fidgeting for long enough to give her friend a deadpan stare. "Marlene, you're twenty- six."

"I'm_ ancient,_" she said dramatically. "Especially comapred to you. Ah, how I want those days to be back. It was so easy back then."

"If you're done acting like an annoying old relative..."

Marlene fake sobbed. "But this is what I am! Time has gotten to me, Lily! I actually found a white hair today!"

Lily shrugged. "So? I've found white hairs too. Muggles believe that finding a string of white hair so young means luck."

Marlene's eyes widened. "Sounds like complete rubbish but I'm willing to accept it for my peace of mind."

"If it shuts your whining, I'm not going to complain."

"Oi!" Marlene cried out indignantly, making several people look over at their table. Lily glared at her. Her blonde friend pouted. "You're a rubbish mate."

Lily was hardly bothered by this. "Oh, please, you love me. And to answer the question that stared all of this nonsense, yes, you can allow to eat a piece of cake. Or a whole cake. Your body is hot."

Marlene smiled suggestively. "I've always known you have a thing for me..."

"Ahem," the two friends looked up and Lily flushed when she noticed a young, attractive man looming over their table with his eyebrows raised very high on his forehead. "Is any of you called Marlene McKinnon?"

The two exchanged a quick look and Lily felt all her nervousness come back as she looked back at the man. Kathleen's brother. He had the same shade of coppery red hair but this eyes were dark gray and his skin sun-kissed. Good genes in that family, clearly.

"That would be me," Marlene said, giving Evan a slight smile. "Would you like to sit?"

"I want to know where you're keeping my parents. After that, I'll be on my way," Evan said briskly, his eyes suddenly cold.

Lily was taken aback by the sudden change of attitude. Marlene didn't seem as fazed but then again, it was she who had exchanged owls with Evan.

"Of course we'll tell you," Marlene said, all traces of friendliness gone to be replaced by distant professionalism. "You'll have to come with me and indentify them, just for protocol and sign some papers and you'll be able to get them."

"Let's go then," he said curtly, turning on his heel.

"But wait!" Lily exclaimed. Evan stopped and turned around, looking even more like he didn't want to be there talking to her than before. Lily squashed down her annoyance and spoke. "What about your sister? You're aware of her condition, aren't you? The healers say they aren't sure if she'll wake up in a state that-"

"I'm not concerned about what happens to her," Evan cut her off sharply, his gray eyes flashing. "She got my parents killed. She could only bring trouble in my life. Trouble I don't _need. _I'm sure she'll find a place to stay. She's better off with you lot."

Lily's jaw dropped and her cheeks flushed as her annoyance turned to anger. Flashbacks of her sister's unfair treatment invaded her mind and she stood up sharply. "What the bloody hell is wrong with you?" she snapped loudly. "Are you even aware what happened to your sister? Do you know that she was tortured-"

"Lily!" Marlene cut in warningly.

Lily narrowed her eyes and lowered her voice. "She was tortured for Merlin knows how long! When we found her she was covered in blood, her entire body covered in wounds. She was barely breathing! She nearly died! And you're saying that you don't care at all about what happens to her? What kind of person are you, exactly?"

"Lily, let's go outside," Marlene ordered, taking Lily by the arm gently. "You, come with us," she said, addressing Evan. He shook the stupefied expression off his face and glared heatedly at Lily, but listened to Marlene and followed them outside the cafe.

"Lily, calm yourself," Marlene said gently but firmly. "I shouldn't have brought you with me today and you know it. Get a hold of your temper and don't get me in trouble."

Lily took a deep breath. "Right, sorry. I just lost it. I'm better now," the slight wind rustled her hair and had a calming effect over her nerves. She took another deep breath and smoothed her expression. "You can let go of me now," she told Marlene. She did. Seeing Evan's face made her anger resurface but she squashed it down as their eyes met.

"So you won't come with us to visit your sister?" she asked coldly.

A muscle in his cheek jump, leading Lily to believe that he was doing his best to keep his temper in check as well. "That would be a no," he answered, equally as cold.

"Very well, then," Lily said, her nostrils flaring. "She doesn't need someone like you in her life anyway."

Evan laughed derisively. "You don't need her in your life, girl. The girl is a killer."

_That_ made her stop in her tracks. She guessed her expression was the mirror of Marlene's stupefied face. "What?"

Evan raised his eyebrows superciliously. "You don't know? The pest almost killed me when we were little. Just six years old, she was, when she made me fly into that tree and nearly shattered my skull. Good for nothing even back then."

Lily exhaled. "That was... that was just accidental magic. She didn't want to hurt you, I'm sure. It only happens when..." her eyes narrowed. "...when you're very emotional. What were you doing to her that it made her do that?"

"I was telling her where she belonged! In hell!" he snapped angrily, his fists clenching at his sides. "You all do, the lot of you."

Lily felt her temper rise dangerously. "_Excuse me_-"

"All right, that's enough," Marlene cut in sharply. "Lily, don't say anything. You-" she barked at Evan. "You come with me. _Don't you say another word_ or I'll make it so you never see, much less get a hold of your parents' bodies. Do you understand me?"

Evan's eyes flashed angrily as he stared at Marlene, his tan cheeks flushing, but he was clever enough not to test Marlene any further and only nodded curtly.

"Lily-" Marlene stared to say but Lily interrupted her.

"I'm going," Lily spat, glaring at Evan. "I've got no use talking to him anymore. Have fun being a hateful, rotten, good for nothing arsehole!" With that said, she span on her heel and stomped down the street

"Drink some tea when you get home!" Marlene shouted after her but Lily was too angry to pay her any attention.

He was even worse than Petunia and Lily thought that was impossible. Her sister was mean and spiteful but she'd never acted so apathetic at the prospect of Lily getting hurt, or worse, killed. She got the impression that Evan actually hated his sister. She didn't get along with Petunia certainly but she'd never hated her and she was certain that for all her bitterness, Petunia didn't and had never hated her either. That was just one step too far.

It was unnatural.

Lily grinded her teeth until it became painful and she stopped. She slowed her pace and took several deep breaths to calm herself. There was no point in continuing to be angry about this. She had to calm down. Maybe a cup of tea wouldn't be such a bad idea, after all. She thought about finding another cafe where she could drink it, but the remembered that Lucy still hadn't answered her letter and decided to visit her friend instead.

It was time to find out what was happening to Lucy.

Lily smelled the sea as she apparated close to Lucy's house. Lucy lived in a huge, renovated cottage close to the sea, something which had always made Lily a little jealous. The view from Lucy's bedroom was breathtaking.

Lily walked the small distance to the cottage, wondering how to start the conversation with Lucy. Before she knew it, she was at the front door and before she had any time to hesitate, she rang the doorbell. It resonated loudly in the house and outside, as it always did, making Lily smile at the memories.

The door swung open and a short, brown-haired girl stood at the threshold. Her dark eyes lit up when she saw Lily and her lips stretched into a wide smile, showing her pronounced canine teeth, a trait she shared with her sister. "Lily!" Clary, Lucy's younger sister, exclaimed as she pulled Lily inside the house. "I'm so happy to see you. This place is has gotten_ crazy. _My mother's gone barking mad, I tell you, what with that wedding. She has turned into a monster that only cares about colour schemes and centerpieces. Lucy, is as you might expect, completely apathetic. Almost as apathetic as she's towards her husband-to-be."

"Oh," Lily blinked. Clary always talked very fast in her Scottish brogue, and it sometimes made her very hard to understand. "Is Lucy here?"

"In her room," Clary replied, pushing her towards the stairs. "Go knock some sense into her so she would call off that wedding. I want everything to go back to normal!"

Lily couldn't help but chuckle. "All right, all right. Stop pushing me," she swatted her hands away, making Clary grin. The brown haired girl gave her the thumbs up and a cheesy grin.

"Good luck, soldier!"

Lily continued to smile as she climbed up the stairs and got to Lucy's room. She caught a sound of the soothing piano solos Lucy liked to listen to and felt their peaceful effect immediately wash over her. She knocked on the door softly. There was some rustling sounds from inside and the familiar squeaking of Lucy's bed, and then door opened and there stood her best friend, hair even blonder than the last time she'd seen her and with the ever present expression of superior detachment.

An expression which changed to surprise the moment their eyes met. "Lily!" Lucy exclaimed."You're here," she said, blinking.

Lily raised an eyebrow at her reaction. "Yes, I'm here. And I've got a question, what the hell happened with you and Derek? Because this came out of the blue."

"Ah, that," Lucy sighed deeply. "I actually very foolishly hoped you wouldn't want to talk about that. But I suppose there's no avoiding it. Come in," she stood aside and Lily walked in."So, on scale of _you fucking bitch_ to _I'm going to feed you to my cat after I've brutally and methodically dissected you _how mad are you at me?"

"Huh?"

"Aren't you mad at me?" Lucy asked, looking like she expected Lily to lash out on her any minute now.

"Well, I'm a bit annoyed that you didn't tell me about Derek before springing that wedding invitation on me but I'm sure you can explain everything to me, so here I am."

"Huh?" Lucy looked bewildered. "What are you talking about? I've send you at least three letters for the past few weeks but you didn't answer any of them, so I figured you were angry about the whole Derek thing. I didn't visit you because I figured you needed some time to process it."

"I haven't gotten any owls from you," Lily said honestly, her eyebrows scrunching together. "Nothing. In fact, I thought you were still travelling around trying out for Quidditch teams and then that invitation came and I was like, what a minute. What's going on here."

"But I send you three letters!" Lucy said. "I've been back in the country ever since my cousin's wedding last month. Uhm, that's when Derek and I saw each other again since school."

Lily raised her eyebrows. "And you randomly decided to marry or what?"

"Not exactly," Lucy said, chuckling. "It's more of an arragement, actually."

"Arragement?" Lily asked, confused. "I don't think I understand."

Lucy sat down her bed and patted the space next to her. "Sit down and I'll explain."

Lily complied, crossing her legs at the ankles and giving Lucy her full attention.

Her friend took a deep breath and started to speak. "Well, we met at the wedding. I got really drunk even before we went there, because my mother hadn't stopped pestering me about finding a suitable man to marry at the wedding. She expected me to stop with all my nonsense and focus on what was important in my life-" Lucy rolled her eyes. "-so we went there, I endured the whole thing and then at the reception, lo and behold, Derek Macmillan, chugging glass after glass of champagne. He looked miserable, the poor sod, and I figured he needed a dose of Lucy to get him in better spirits so I joined him. We soon decided that we're too good to be on the wedding, stole a couple of bottles of the champagne and left."

Lily had a feeling she knew in which direction the story was going. When you Lucy was alone with an attractive male, they almost always ended up doing something. And if there was alcohol involved, nine times out of ten she ended up shagging them. She didn't speak, however.

"And well, we apparated to Hogsmeade to reminisce about ye olde days and he actually made me laugh a few times. Granted, I was very sloshed, but that was still an accomplishment on his part. Anyway, we talked and drank a lot. Turns out, he was suffering from the same pressure to find a suitable wife. I told him that I didn't want to marry some pureblood bloke who had a mania with control and wanted me to stay at home and take care of his offspring and he agreed that the role wouldn't suit me at all. I think he implied I would be a bad mother, but I'm_ not_ exactly sure. Anyway, after we had drank all the booze, he told me that he'd never make his wife do that. He'd let her have her freedom, as long as she treated him and his family well and gave him one beautiful child that he could live for. I thought that was a stupid dream, really, but he just shrugged and said it was all he wanted. Then the dots connected. I was a woman in need of a husband, I wanted to be free, I could treat him well and his family, if I wanted to and since I'm in a posession of a vagina, I was the perfect candidate. I told him that. It took him an embarrasingly long time to get what I was saying to him - clearly a Hufflepuff, that one - but when he did, he thought it was a brilliant idea. Then we started making out and had sex. In the morning when we sobered up, we still thought it was a good idea and so here we are."

Silence fell between them as Lucy finished speaking and waited for Lily to process everything she had said. Lily, for her part, was having trouble grasping the concept of the marraige "arrangment". Sirius and Lucy had both explained to her that most pureblood families, like theirs and unlike the Potters, didn't see marriage as a union of two people who loved each other and wanted to spent the rest of their lives together. Instead, they saw it as an opportunity to unite their family with another one that might benefit them somehow in the future. In all, marriage was seen as a business deal and not a sacred bond between a man and a woman. It was completely ridiculous, in Lily's opinion. The parents of pureblood children were ready to basically sell their children just so they could get their hands on something they wanted. Lily had trouble believing Lucy would actually agree to any of that. It just didn't fit her persona at all. She was about as unconventional as she could get and marriage, the very epitome of monogamy, was against everything she stood for.

"I still don't understand why you need to marry him," Lily said slowly. "Your parents have been at it ever since you turned fifteen and you managed to dodge them successfully thus far. I don't get why you let them win all of a sudden."

"Didn't you hear what I said? They are going to _cut me off. _Completely. I can't get a job with the scores I got on my NEWTs. I put all my hope in Quidditch in school and until I find a team, they are the ones keeping me off the streets. I'm starting to lose hope after all those failed try outs, to be honest. I need their money... and Derek's money, too. I mean he's not _that _bad. Sure, he's a bit boring but at least he's good looking and smells nice. He'll be a bit like a pet, don't you think?"

Lily stared at Lucy, unamused. "I never thought I'd say this, Lucille, but you are a gold-digger."

Lucy gasped loudly and jumped on her feet. "I am _not_! I've got my own money!"

"You're marrying Derek for his money, too, and your feelings towards him border on indifference. That's just classic gold-digging. On the bright side, at least he's your age and not forty years older."

Lucy sniffed. "I hate all those labels people put on behaviour. Honestly, _gold-digger._ This is such a degrading and offensive-"

"Can you not give me on of your self-righteous speeches right now?" Lily said, half-amused, half-serious. "It'd be really rich coming from you, after this. You're doing exactly what every other good little pureblood daughter is doing. You just fit the mold. You became _conventional,_" Lucy flinched. "Traditional."

"Stop it!" Lucy shouted, slapping her hands on her ears. "It's for my own good, okay? I'm just making sure I don't end up living on the streets!"

"What sort of robes are you planning on wearing on your wedding?" Lily asked, grinning. "A _traditional _cut or something more extravagant."

The blonde girl groaned and fell down on her bed. "You are the devil, Lily Potter."

Lily laid down next to her and grinned. "No, I'm just enjoying this moment. I'm going to milk this for all its worth, you realise?"

Lucy scowled. "I wouldn't expect anything less from you."

Lily continued to smile as she stared up at Lucy's wooden ceiling. She smelled in the aroma of Lucy's Jo Malone scented candles. "I've missed you," she said after the silence had streched for too long. It was uncomfortable by any means, but she felt like telling Lucy.

"I missed you more," Lucy replied, taking Lily's hand. They entwined their fingers together and laid there in silence, just as they'd done during so many afternoons spend in Lucy's bedroom.

"So, you're really going to marry Derek?" Lily asked for the last time, just to make sure.

Lucy blew a strand of bleached hair away from her face and shrugged with one shoulder. "I guess I am."

"Well, congratulations, then."

"Thank you," Lucy replied quietly, none of the joy Lily had felt when she had announced her wedding detectable in her voice. "You would be my maid of honour, wouldn't you?"

Lily smiled warmly and squeezed Lucy's hand. "I thought you'd never ask."

Lucy turned on her side and curled up next to Lily. "Let's sleep," she murmured.

"All right," Lily said, closing her eyes. "Let' sleep for a bit."

...


End file.
